Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-12-07
CANNIBAL COOKERY.
A Gamo of Whist In Which a
Man-Eator Took Part.

A Gamo of Whist In Which a
Man-Eator Took Part
have known two cannibals intimately,
and they were both agreeable men, says q
writer in the New York Nail and E1prsss.
One was my host IN New Zealand and the
other nay partner at whist in Fiji The race
IL dying out 80 fast, and the opportunity Of
counting a canni0al among your acquaint-
ance h growing 80 rare, that my impress
sions Of them and this remark on the sub
ioct may not be without interest.
During trip through the North Island Of
Now Zealand Ia 1850 | met in the vicinity Of
tho beautiful Bay Of Islands the old Maori
chief, Te Hemera Al this time he was APP
preaching eighty years of age, but his intel
loot was bright and his memory apparently
unimpaircd. In his younger days he must
have boon man Of magnificent physique,
but now no was bent and withered and his
wonderfully tattooed face resembled some
curiously mottlod piece Of parchment. All
his life had boon passed In the North Island,
mostly In the ncighborhood Of Paihia.
he well remembered tho arrival OF the
first white settlers, and many and won
lorful wore tho yarns he told about
them. On the subject Of cannibalism he
spoke as an expert, having partal<en Of
many human joint. From him l learned
that the MaOris never INDUCED in cannibal-
ism except In the case of enemies killed or
taken prisoner In battle Prisoners, how
evcr were often kept for years as slaves,
and then, ON the occasion Of some great
feast occurring, taken and killed. This
would account for the stories told by the
early missionary settlers Of the slaughter OF
human victims in time Of peace Rarely,
except after big battle, or the wreck of
some ship on their rock bound coast, did the
bisoris indulge In a human banquet. The
feast was conducted with considerable cere-
mony in "pah" specially reserved for the
purpose and which went by the name Of
''Kai Taugnta,n which means Eat MAN.
The method Of cooking was AS follows: The
body was hung up 10 beam by the neck,
sc,,ldcd with boiling water and carefully
scrapcd with oyster shells. 10 was then
taken down, the hair all cut OF and the head
iecapitdtod. The brain being considered
great delicacy, was reserved for the chief.
In the case Of men killed in battle the heart
was the property Of the slayer. The entrails
were then taken out and the trunk filed
with hot stones II was then placed IN an
oven built In the GROUND. covered over with
stones, and allowed 10 cook for at least
twelve hours. ~ was customary 10 place
the body In the oven about sunset, and
the whole night during which the cook
ing was going ON was passed In
fcasting and dancing. At early dawn the
meat was taken out and cut up for
distribution. Some OF the flesh was
given 10 the women. and each man, on re
ceiving his share, retired 10 his ''pah" and
ate II in private Tc Hemera could give
h
a very curious one, as at all other banquets
the food is eaten in public. fancy il must
have originated from the fact that their in.
ordinate greed for human flesh was apt 60
load TO quarrels during the consumption of
II. For II Is held TO DO q heinous crime 20
do any thing 10 disturb the sacred harmony
during the progress Of "A feast Should
this be "a solution Of the custom, n may be
taken as "A confirmation Of the theory that
the practice Of cannibalsm tends 10 brutal
iEe those who indulge I'm IT, To show how
all-absorbing the taste becomes, Te He
mera told me that, on one occasion, young
girl was allotted % him as a portion Of a
number Of slaughtered victims, and, put
ting her into a canoe, he carried her far
from the settlement into the bush, and
there remained until he had finished her.
Can any thing more CHASTITY DO imagined
Nnhu Auls Mtlfu AthHk III Aht utplus VI "a
New Zealand forest Never, we are apt 20
imagine, does man feel more near God than
when ne PAGES in solitude the paths of some
tenantless wild How passing strange is il
that man, clothed in the very image of his
Maker, men created but little lower than
the angels, should be capable Of devouring.
with ghoulish glee, his fellow-men. i con-
fcss that after hearing this story, felt a
loathing for the old man which never got
over. and / was not sorry 10 leave him and
his grim "reminiscences far behind, while
betoOk myself 10 fresh fields and pastures
new.
From New Zealand to the Fiji Islands is
no great distance, and during fortnights
stay in thatoyely group l met several no
tOrious canniDals. Moreover, experienced
the novel. sensation Of playing a rub
Der Of whist with one of them. At
the time OF the visit King Thak-
ambau was alive and much given 70
hospitality 20 any travellers who visited De
valSa A handsome allowance from the
British Government enabled him 10 indulge
this within TO his hearts content, aud every
evening an entertainment OF some sort was
provided NJ the palace Thakambau was
then sixty-threo years Of age, but looked
older: a fine looking man standing over siS
feet In height, with intelligent but crafty
features. He had discarded native COSTUME
and usually appeared dressed IN blacl
frock coat and q stove-pipe hat, which did
not add 10 his dignity. One evening anS
n friend strollcd into the Kings garden RnS
found him sitting on tho verandah Of one o
his houses playing euchre with his son
Prince Abel AS we watched tho game an'
chcttcd about cards was surprised 70 leari
that Thakanibau knew whist. II appeare'
that no had learnt the game Few year
ago before when he was the guest OF II
Hercules Robinson at sidney. He bad no
been able 10 make Il popular with his pee
plc. however, and Prince Abel denounced
emphatically as a STOOL gaze" A. n
Kings suggestion we sat down 70 . rubber
Hia Majesty and myself against my frient
and Prince Abel II was soon apparent tina
neither Of our dusiy partners knew muci
about the game. ThalSambau espociai,
could not resist the pleasure Of taking hl'
partners trick and invariably played MI
Highest cards whenever II came his turn Z
piav. The fact that an acc took a king To-
SEEMED TO cause him considerable annoy
anco as being derogatory 10 the kingll
dignity Altogether Il was a game playe'
under difficulties and our opponents won
However, the picturcsqucness OF the sur
roundngs and the strange character OF m,
partner amply compensated for the defec'
Twenty years before Thaxambau had beeI
a notorious cannibal- How many OF IN
human ruec had found a resting place IN hi
capacious stomach Il would DO impossibl
20 estimate. In his earlier years, whel
King Of Nebau. his chief invariably aske'
him whether he would take ''pnaka belava'
or s.pulxa decua'' for dinner. The formo
means long pis. that IL human hesh Ans -